falling prey
Getting caught out
Falling prey means becoming a victim of something harmful or deceptive.
The phrase comes from hunting—prey is what a predator catches and kills.
Someone falls prey to a scam, a disease, or their own weaknesses: She fell prey to his charm.
The expression emphasizes vulnerability and suggests the victim was targeted or susceptible.
- susceptibilityLiability to influence
- easy targetVulnerable person or thing
- predationHunting and consuming prey
- sitting duckDefenseless person or thing
- bitePierce with teeth
gullibility · trustfulness · exploitation · naivety · sob story · manipulation · coercion · con artist · wolf in sheep's clothing · scheming · cunning · net · deception · false pretenses · trap · betrayal · misdirection · chase
falling preyevading
Skillfully keeping away from
eluding · avoiding · escaping · getting away · breaking free
falling preyhunting
Pursuing wild game
predating · stalking · victimizing · exploiting · targeting
falling preyfighting off
Actively repelling something
fending off · resisting · repelling · warding off · standing one's ground
falling, prey, fall, falls, fell, fallen, faller, fallout, downfall